The third amendment reads as follows: No soldier shall, in time of peace be quartered in any house, without the consent of the owner, nor in time of war, but in a manner to be prescribed by law.
This amendment is not debated often, but as a scholar, it is still important to understand what it means. This amendment is the one that sort of gives us the right not to house soldiers if we do not wish to do so.
This amendment was included because the people did not want the government imposing on them and forcing them to quarter soldiers. This is great, but carefully read the final phrase—but in a manner prescribed by law. This gives the possibility to force us to quarter soldiers, but there must also be a law in place. I don't know if there is a current law, but it is also possible to create a law in time of need. We have not had a domestic war since the Civil War, and have had very few domestic attacks that lead to war. This doesn't mean that we couldn't be required to at some point, but it is not likely that we would have a need to house a soldier any time soon. Should it become feasible, I am sure that this will be a hot button issue.
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